


Slice of Life

by luckiehawk



Series: slice of life [1]
Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Second and third gen cast as background characters, Team Bonding, Teenage Drama, Total Drama World Tour, total drama world tour but rewritten as a cheesy high school fic...yeah
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 20:00:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27202147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luckiehawk/pseuds/luckiehawk
Summary: Lots of drama, romance, and catfights take place in the halls of Wawanakwa High. Can new drama teacher Chris McLean find a way to keep it under wraps, or will he fuel the fire? Have high school relationships ever been this important? Why is the cafeteria food so disgusting? So many questions, so little time. Follow the cast of Total Drama in their sophomore year of high school!
Relationships: Alejandro Burromuerto/Heather, Bridgette/Brody/Geoff (Total Drama), Bridgette/Geoff (Total Drama), Chef Hatchet/Chris McLean, Cody Anderson/Noah, Courtney/Duncan (Total Drama), Dawn/Devon "DJ" Joseph, Duncan/Gwen (Total Drama), Eva/Izzy (Total Drama), Gwen/Trent (Total Drama), Leshawna/Harold McGrady V, Lindsay/Tyler (Total Drama)
Series: slice of life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1985866
Comments: 4
Kudos: 33





	1. Not So Happy Classmates

* * *

September 3rd, 6:15 in the morning. The alarm on Cody's phone started. It was officially his first day of sophomore year at the teenager-dubbed "hellhole," more commonly known as Wawanakwa High School. After what seemed like the shortest summer vacation of his life, he had a strong disbelief that going back to school was the right idea. The crisp fall morning brought an attitude of freshness to Cody, despite his dread to leave his bed. He finally crawled out after a self pep-talk and a few tears. Little did he know that sophomore year held more in store for him than he could handle.

"I don't understand why you're so apprehensive to go to school, Cody. It's not like you're getting, like, tortured in hell for eight hours everyday." Izzy laughed, still bounding a few steps ahead of the male. His morning walk since sixth grade had consisted of chasing his neighbor down a block or two before barely catching up to her for conversation. It was a blessing and a curse; a little cardio never hurt him.

"Except I AM!" Cody sighed. He was now at an equal pace with the redhead. Her energy levels made him confused, but he brushed it aside to continue getting his thought out. "I have a literal fear of Heather Mendoza. That's not good." Cody was too busy playing with the straps of his backpack to notice Izzy almost double over in laughter.

"It's a rational fear. I think everyone fears that-" Izzy stopped laughing as the sound of a car horn stopped her, causing the friends to peer into the street. What they didn't expect to see was Noah Archaya waving them into his older brother's car.

"You're gonna be late." The brunette whined unenthusiastically, and Izzy compiled by dragging Cody into the street with her. What was the girl thinking? He grumbled in protest as she forced him to climb into the backseat. Why would he want to get into Noah's car? The two were barely friends, but Izzy was the buffer for the time being. "What were you guys talking about? Seemed funny." He chimed sarcastically, making Cody's face go red.

Izzy smiled enthusiastically as she started speaking on the topic again. "Cody's fear of Heather! Isn't that so crazy?" She said, almost speaking a mile a minute. The scrawny brunette sent his friend a glare. No one deserved to know about his fears, especially Noah!

"Priceless." Noah chuckled. "I had to work on freshman council with her last year. Sucked ass." He said plainly, shrugging his shoulders. "I gave up all thoughts of running for president this year."

Before Cody could even muster up the courage to answer, the car reached its destination. It was odd, getting a positive and meaningful answer out of Noah. He had no time to mull over it, though. Izzy had already booted him out of the car and chided at him for being a slowpoke. Cody watched the students file over the school campus. Some, mostly freshman, were socializing in the middle of the pathway. Others could care less about conversation and made themselves straight inside.

"The first bell is in three...two...one." counted Noah, who led the threesome through the wilderness called the hallways. Turns out, they were all in the same homeroom. And to think Cody had a break from the kid.

* * *

On the other side of things, Heather Mendoza couldn't wait to be back and reigning the halls of Wawanakwa High School. Freshman year was a bit rough, yet she still made quite the reputation for herself. Who knew telling half of the student body about Gwen's crush on Trent would boost her popularity? And getting her hair cut by Gwen in result? The perfect catfight. Everything was normal. She was the top of the food chain. The presidential election would come as a piece of cake to her. That was until she entered homeroom. Wawanakwa's current sophomore class was one of the smallest in its current cast of students, only being split into two or three homerooms that haven't been changed since freshman year. Heather walked into the classroom, immediately taking the middle seat Lindsay was saving for her.

"Hi Hilda, how was-" Lindsay attempted to start a conversation, before noticing Heather's drastic change in hair length. "Where did it go?! Your hair used to be soooo long!" She exclaimed, only for Heather to give a sigh as a response. Sometimes the blonde's reaction time wasn't too... outstanding.

"Pasty cut it off. As if she wasn't already busy enough sucking Courtney's boyfriend's face off." Heather said, loud enough for Gwen to hear. The goth ignored it - everyone else already assumed she and Duncan were a couple just because of their appearances. It got old after a while. The chatter of the room was brought down by this year's homeroom teacher, Mr. McLean. He was the new head of the drama department and taught English to teenagers who really didn't care about why Harper Lee chose to write about Southern racism. Rumor had it that he once was famous.

"Alright, _campers_ ," The man started, standing up from his desk. "I'm Mr. McLean, call me Chris. I don't mind it." He shrugged, now using the surface as a seat. He dressed casually for such a job and looked about in his mid-thirties to Heather. Sort of like the brother she never speaks of. "Enough about me though! Today, we have-"

Mr. McLean was interrupted by Beth Kanassis, possibly the most annoying girl on the planet. "Weren't you on that figure skating show? The one where that guy dropped the girl? Right on her head?" She asked, and you could see the teacher get more and more flustered with every specification she gave.

"What a dumb assumption!" replied Chris, his face reading an emotion Heather couldn't place.

A girl from the back of the room stood up. "It was him! I've only seen it about sixteen times, though." She said with a certainty that made Heather's back tingle. Creepy, _ick._

"Speaking of new students, thank you, _Sierra,_ for the confirmation!" An already aggravated Chris said. "Class, we have two new students joining us today!" He continued, staring the purple-haired girl down. "Please give a warm Wawanakwa welcome to Sierra West and Alejandro Burromuerto!" Chris waved the girl and a new, Latin-looking man into the front of the classroom. Given how many girls, and Tyler, were staring at him, Heather could tell Alejandro would be even more trouble than Justin.

"Hello! I'm Sierra, and I can't-" Sierra already froze up during her introduction. Was it because she finally caught the daggers Heather was sending? She gave herself a mental pat on the back before softening her features. Even after she did, Sierra was still starstruck by something in the back of the room. Heather followed Sierra's sightline to a brunette boy slouched in his desk. Cody Anderson? _Oh god._ Cody was the resident Pasty simp. Sierra wasn't gonna get between that. No way in hell.

"Next!" Chris said, nudging Sierra back to her seat. Attention was now focused on Alejandro, the guy who Heather already hated.

"Hello, I'm Alejandro. Always Alejandro. Never...Al." He stated, his voice falling to a malicious mumble towards the end of his introductory statement. Most girls were already tuned out and just in awe, but Heather was listening, alright.

"Sorry, Al, could you repeat that?" Owen, another person Heather wasn't fond of, asked the question to set him off. Instead of losing it, Alejandro kept his composure. "Please, _el gordo_ , just stop talking." He chided, returning to his seat after speaking. So he was transparent, fake and...deliciously seductive? Well, not to Heather. Those weren't HER thoughts. Maybe he would be an easy target to gain as an ally, like Lindsay. Owen pissed him off, so he was smart enough to comprehend that already. He didn't know that Heather Mendoza was a force to be reckoned with, though.

* * *

Throughout the day, it was like she couldn't escape the Latin Lover. He was in her honors classes, where she thought she could catch a break from at least some people. Lunch was the only period where she didn't feel the threatening eyes of the new student. She made her way from the line to the table, immediately stopping when she spotted who Lindsay had already directed to the table. It couldn't be real.

"Hello, you must be Heather. Lindsay has only said the most wonderful things about you!" Alejandro said, giving Heather that charming smile that made all of the girls, _and Tyler_ , fall earlier in homeroom. He was good, too good, and so perfect. (Again, not her thoughts.) Heather would have to get it through the blonde's thick skull that hanging around with him was bad news.

"That's right. And you're Al, right?" She asked, an emphasis on the nickname he hated. He kept his charming smile, and just blew a kiss to her. Heather gasped, turning her head away from the boy in front of her. How could that not annoy him? He said it did earlier, so why wasn't it working for her? She could tell what was running through his mind, but it wasn't until they were walking back to their lockers when Heather confirmed her suspicions.

"So, what do you think your purpose here will be?" Heather asked, still very uninterested at the thought of this boy. She was only playing nice for Lindsay's sake. Yeah, for Lindsay's sake. "You know, when you're not too busy making everyone look more stupid than you do?"

"I was planning on running for class president. Lindsay suggested it to me. Nothing like a little bit of healthy, friendly competition. Right, Mendoza?" He said, opening the locker that lived three doors away from Heather's. Thank god that he couldn't see her face right now, it was even redder than his shirt. How dare Lindsay tell him about her plan? She would have had no competition until the dumb blonde opened her fat mouth. She'd have to double down and actually put effort into her campaign now! Plus, the idea that he could just go and call her Mendoza like that? Unthinkable! No one disrespects the queen bee like that. Maybe behind her back, but certainly not to her face.

"May the best man win, _Al._ " She sneered, leaving the lockers with a thud and a growl that even scared herself.


	2. Team Amazon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Courtney is put in charge of Heather's campaign and has to convince students from completely different friend groups to join. Can she do it? Noah lets a little secret slip to Eva. Izzy gets involved and reveals some interesting information.

Courtney may have been too nice by offering to run Heather’s campaign. When Heather came to her with the proposition, she was ecstatic! I mean, who wouldn't be? She loved planning things, executing them, and seeing them go off flawless. So if the school's most popular bitch wanted to pawn off her election on her instead of her dim-witted best friend, Courtney would have been more than happy to accept. Some things just had to be too good to be true, though. The brunette sat at a desk where notebooks filled with ideas for half written campaign speeches and ideas for slogans sat. Of course, Courtney didn’t have a hand in any of this. Heather had approached her with everything. The two weren’t even friends, but Heather knew that she was smart enough to steer her through an election. She would need it if she was running up against Alejandro Burromuerto.

“Courtney, I’ll need you to assemble a team of Wawanakwa’s most creative minds. I need to win against _Captain Perfect_.” Heather had instructed. Those words rang in Courtney’s mind. Captain Perfect? Sure, it was weird for Heather to be nice to anyone but Lindsay, but something else caught her off guard. Heather had given Alejandro a title that she would’ve gagged at if anyone else had said it. Captain Perfect? That could only mean one thing - Heather had feelings for the new student.

Courtney shuddered at the idea. Heather in love? Yeah right! That would be like the Grinch having a crush! She chuckled wildly to herself. Once she calmed down, she opened the first notebook on the desk. There was a list of people who Heather wanted on her team...Gwen? That would be hard. Cody...wasn't he afraid of her? This would be one hell of a challenge.

* * *

Eva stormed through the hallways. Everyone kept a clear path. If you didn’t, you’d most likely succumb to her wrath and become a living punching bag. Not ideal for anyone but herself. People aren’t even this afraid of  _ Heather _ ...except Cody.

“Move!” the brawler screamed into the face of a poor freshman. He scurried out of the way, but was already in tears. Nobody has any idea who she was looking for, but the girl had her eyes set on someone down the hall. Once she made her way through the scared crowd, she approached Noah. 

By the time Eva made contact with him, she was beyond seething. Noah looked her up and down and shook his head in confusion. Eva grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him along with her until they found an empty classroom. (Not completely empty, Courtney was there running Heather’s campaign out of the ground.) 

“Why wouldn’t you tell me?” Eva screeched, Noah giving the same exact look that he gave in the first place. This seemed to make Eva more mad, as she placed his hands on his shoulders and shook him. 

“What?!?” Noah exclaimed, trying to wriggle free from Eva’s grip. It was no use for the scrawny boy, but he could try. Eva kicked him in the shin, causing him to lose all feeling in his leg. “Just let me go..” He whimpered, succumbing to Eva’s wrath. Thanks for taking one for the team, Noah.

Eva finally complied, letting the boy go with a shove. Noah limped away, waiting for Eva’s question. “Why didn’t you tell me you were gay?” Eva asked, arms crossed over her chest. Noah’s eyes immediately flashed over with panic, but he had to keep his cool.

They had forgotten that Courtney was in the room with them. Was she shocked? A little bit. She had expected this from Noah since at least the fourth grade, when he denied her a dance at the Valentine's Day semiformal. Oh well, his sexuality wasn’t her problem. She had a campaign to run!

* * *

Gwen Rowan was going about her usual school day: avoiding everyone, drawing under the tree, and staring at Trent. Yes, the boy she’s had a crush on since the very first day of freshman year. Over the summer, her dreams of talking to him became a reality thanks to Heather outing Gwen’s feelings. Turns out, the musician felt the same, and things were better between the two ever since.  The summer was over now, and Gwen has yet to talk to Trent since the horror movie marathon they shared the week before school started. Things got a little heated there; Gwen wound up getting her first kiss and the two vowed to never tell anyone else about their little smooch.

“Gwen!” Courtney interrupted her thoughts, tapping the goth’s shoulder. She slammed her sketchbook shut, afraid the brunette would see the sketches of Trent playing his guitar from across campus. (Too late, Courtney sees everything. Doesn’t she know any better?) The goth sat upright, looking up at the prep. 

“Okay, so I know you don’t really like Heather, but she’s asking for you to be the ‘artistic director’ of her campaign.” Courtney explained, only for Gwen to laugh in the brunette’s face. The goth finally paused from her laughter, gasping for air, earning an annoyed glare. “I was being serious.”

“Is this a prank? So she can try and embarrass me again?” Gwen asked, standing up from her spot and tucking the sketchbook into her bag. Courtney leant in closer, folding her arms across her chest.

“Listen, your sketches are really good. Like, the ones of Trent specifically, they're really amazing.” The C.I.T. whispered, and Gwen’s jaw dropped. This? Courtney would never resort to blackmail...as far as she knew. “So join us, the talent would be greatly appreciated.” She finished, handing Gwen a flier she made before sauntering off to find her next victim: Cody.

* * *

Are you wondering what Eva’s reaction was when Noah came out to her? Well, she’s dealing with it almost too well. She stood by his side the entire day, acting as a bodyguard. Noah hated the attention that came along with it: stares when Duncan tried to make a remark about his sweater vest and Eva almost bit him, or when she almost attacked some freshman named Brick. She was taking things way too far for Noah’s taste of privacy. 

“Eva? Maybe you should-” Noah said, raising his hand in a futile attempt to get Eva to calm down...but he was too late.

“Get the FUCK out of his way!” Eva growled, causing another group of freshmen to cower off in fear and bewilderment.

He let out an annoyed groan, storming ahead of his friend to reach their classroom. It was the final period of the day, so it meant it was time for Mr. McLean, or Chris's, English class. Noah didn't completely mind his class, but it had only been two days into school, and his classmates got annoying fast. He sat down in his normal seat of the back of the classroom. Justin would come and sit on the other side usually, but not today apparently. Eva took his spot, ready to chew Noah out.

"Noah!" Her tone already sounded aggravated...but all of it dropped within a second. She had a genuine look of concern and sincerity on her face- was she about to cry? "I'm sorry...am I doing too much?"

Noah squirmed in his seat. He wasn't great with other people's emotions, but he knew she was genuinely trying here. He let out a breath, leaning closer to Eva. "To be honest, I appreciate it, but you don't have to go super overboard. I know you're out but-" He paid an earnest glance at Duncan before continuing his statement. "I don't think some people would be too accepting...Owen knows and I think Justin picked up on it, I wouldn't even be surprised if Izzy-"

"If Izzy what?" The redhead dove across a desk to get to Noah- scaring the shit out of him. Eva remained stone-faced though; her and Izzy were two peas in a pod. He wouldn't even be shocked if they were dating. "That you're..." She flicked her wrist before rolling over on her back, like a dog. "for Cody, of course!"

Yep. This was the part where Noah's classmates were getting under his skin. He never thought the day would come this early! Golly gee! "Izzy, how did you even know..." He pinched his temple, glaring down at the ground in annoyance.

"The tension in the car yesterday, duhh!" Izzy said these words like they meant nothing. NOTHING! He didn't even know if he really even liked Cody that much. "Oh! But you gotta be careful. New girl has the hots for Cody, and they're already pretttty good friends." 

As if on cue, the pair walked into the classroom, happily chatting away with Courtney. 

**_Oy vey._ **

* * *

Courtney had reached the boss battle of the first big task: convincing Cody to join the fleet. She had already used blackmail on Gwen, so what would she do for him? Maybe if she was there, he'd join! Yeah, that was an astounding plan. If she hadn't been involved with other clubs, honors society, and the dance committee, Courtney would've been running for class president. It's a shame she wasn't. 

She finally had located Cody: talking to the new girl on the quad during their lunch break. Armed with her planner and fliers, the C.I.T. made her way over to them. She slapped on the (fake) friendly smile and sat down at their table. 

"Yeah! And then Harold was all like, 'burritos are totally-' COURTNEY! Oh- hey! Didn't see you there!" Cody cut himself off in fear once he registered Courtney's presence. "Is there something you need?"

Courtney placed her planner down, careful to not let the fliers catch Cody's eye yet. "So, I have a question to ask you, actually. You _really_ like Gwen, right?" She asked, placing her hand under her chin.

The brunette's eyes lit up. You could see the wheels in his mind turning to where this conversation would go. Courtney caught a glimpse of Sierra's uncomfortable and overly jealous facial expression. This was going perfectly. "Well- uh- yeah! I'd say so! Why?"

"I have a special request for you then! Gwen is currently working as the artistic director on Heather's campaign, and we really need someone to keep us level-headed and get the word about how important it is to make the right choice for voting...Gwen would sooo appreciate it." 

Confliction showed up on Cody's face. He was quiet for a second before he spoke up again. "Well...I don't assume Heather will be involved if she got a whole team of people to run her sideshow for her...and spending time with Gwen would be amazing-" 

"So you're in?" Courtney asked, perking up.

"Yeah!" Cody's face lit up, his gap being briefly exposed before Courtney shoved the fliers in his face. 

"Great! You can hang these up on our way to class! Right, we all have English together 9th period." She said, earning a cough from Sierra.

Sierra leant forward, picking up a flier. "You know, I have _greeeeat_ experience with people, and I'm pretty good at gathering intel..."

Instead of the fake smile, Courtney's signature, devious grin overtook her face. "I can say we have room for one more, but tell me what you can offer on the way to McLean's."

As the bell ended, the three set off, detailing their plans as Cody handed out pamphlets to uninterested students.

5/5. Team Amazon (and Cody) was complete.


	3. Cam-pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen forgets her sketchbook before a campaign meeting and has an interesting encounter with Duncan. Alejandro forms a campaign team and things between him and Heather heat up. Will things ever clear up between them?

So Heather was running a team behind her campaign! That...that devil! Alejandro turned off his phone and shoved it back in his pocket. Tomorrow at school he'd have to form a team of the most elite, smartest people in their homeroom. Heather may have gotten Courtney and Gwen, but there were still plenty more people for himself to gather, right? He let out a sigh, standing up from his desk. 

His family had downsized when they moved from Canada to Spain. His eldest brother was out for college and his dad traveled for work, so it was really only his mother, himself, and the rat that lived in the wall (this was his middle brother, José.) still a four-bedroom house, but overall so different from the estate he lived in back home. Alejandro padded down the stairs, heading right off to the kitchen. 

"Alejandro, my little _capullo_ brother, would you mind telling me about your first days of school?" Oh great. Alejandro rolled his eyes, attempting to ignore his brother. José wouldn't let up. "Al? did you not hear me?" 

"Oh _please,_ cut the crap, José! Stop calling me Al-!" He grumbled, opening the fridge and taking out a bottle of water. His body was a temple. nothing disgusting would be going into it.

"But I saw that my baby brother running for president against that poor, ugly girl. Heather, her name is?" José asked, leaning against the counter.

Alejandro's body ridged up faster than the words came out of his mouth. "AS IF! Heather is not ugly! Even if she is the competition! And her family comes from money!"

"Riiiight, right." His older brother moved toward him, the signature Burromueto smirk coming up on his face. "So you have a crush on this girl? Well, I'll tell you one thing. Burromueto men never let women come before them. Not in races, not in priority. Do not let this girl fuck up your career."

> * * *

Gwen hurried through the crowded halls of Wawanakwa, bag clutched in hand. She was already running late. One more tardy would mean detention with McLean, and no one wanted that. Everything seemed out of place today. Everyone was sitting with opposite friend groups, Bridgette and Geoff looked like they were in an argument, and Chris wasn't even commanding all attention be on him. Whatever. She settled into the open desk next to Courtney. 

"Good morning, Gwen!" Sierra leaned over the desk, sliding a protective arm in front of Cody. Yeah right, as if that's where she was looking. "Do you have any new poster designs for me and Codykinz to put up?"

"Sierra! I asked you to stop calling me- nevermind..." Cody grumbled, laying his head down on the desk before him. 

Courtney perked up from her conversation with Heather, sending a glare at her. "Gwen, good morning. are you prepared? I sent a-"

"Text to the group chat asking everyone to be prepared with at least three things pertaining to the campaign. I know you made the same post in the Google Classroom you set up for three hours." Gwen finished the statement. Courtney didn't have to waste her own (and everyone else's) time explaining again. "Let me just get my sketchbook out-" The goth reached down in her bag and... **fuck.** Where was it?!? She turned back to Courtney, a sheepish glance meeting her hardened glare. "I...left it in my locker." She mumbled, standing up from her seat. 

"Just make sure Heather doesn't have it again. Y'know, to tell Trent more of your secrets." Courtney snickered, causing heather to whip around from sending glares at Alejandro. Again, **grinch crush.** "Be quick. And if you see my delinquent boyfriend, tell him to come talk to me after class."

Gwen picked up her bag and got away from bickering. A strange man sat at Chris's desk; she definitely recognized him, but he wasn't apart of her daily life. "Excuse me...?"

The man looked up from his magazine. His expression was hardened, though tired. "Mr. Hatchet. Chef Hatchet. And what do you want, girlie?"

"Girlie. Right. Uh- can I go get my book from my locker? I'll be back quickly." Gwen said, looking down at her hands. Something about this guy made her a little nervous.

He let out a grunt and shook his head. "Yeah, whatever. McClean don't pay me enough to watch you guys...It's like a daycare or somethin'." He pushed his glasses up, waving his hand at Gwen. "Just take a pass and be back if you care about gettin' in trouble."

"...Thanks." Gwen took the slip of paper, immediately sliding out into the empty hallway. Thankfully, her door wasn't far away. She rushed to the locker, entering her combination and swinging it open. Sketchbook...sketchbook...got it! She took the book out, slamming the door back again. 

"Aye, why are we slamming doors? Do you _want_ Principal Potenza to hear you?" A voice called out from behind her locker door. Gwen jumped, turning to face it. Duncan- what was he doing here? "Not that I give a shit about him, but I know your little pack is all about good morals or whatever the fuck Princess told me."

Gwen rolled her eyes, holding up her hall pass. "Got it from Hatchet. Wouldn't you like to know?"

Duncan let out a sly chuckle, taking Gwen's sketchbook and holding it above his head. "All the money in Canada would be bet on me trying to get you to come skip class with me, right?" 

She thought for a moment. Skip homeroom and hang out with a friend, or go back and possibly deal with Heather and Courtney at once...The choice was obvious. "Of course I'll go."

The punk threw the sketchbook back at her, jabbing her arm. "Leggo, Gothy. The last one to the quad has to listen to Harold's new SoundCloud track and tell him it's great."

> * * *

Alejandro was practically about to give up. He texted the class groupchat for anyone who was interested in helping his campaign show up during homeroom...and _this_ was the crowd he got. Harold, LeShawna, Noah, Izzy, Tyler, and worst of all...Owen. He grunted, banging his hand on the desk in front of him to call the meeting to order. "Alright...are you ready to get to work?"

"Question...um...Al? Yeah, Al!" Owen chuckled, raising a hand. Alejandro could just roll his eyes and respectfully wave him on. "What is this for? And will there be snacks?" 

"Of course there will, Big O!" Izzy poked his shoulder, earning an eye roll from Noah. At least he understood what being sane was. "Aw, Noah, knock it off! I know this is all because you're sad about C-"

"Alright, alright. Maybe we should listen to Alejandro. Y'know, not talk about our _personal lives_." gritted Noah, turning away from Izzy with a pink tint coming over his cheeks. Maybe he was referring to Courtney! Her name started with a C, and she was tasteful in appearance. It would be dumb of him to like her, but perfect for use in blackmail. "So, do you have plans for your campaign?"

Alejandro cracked his knuckles, gesturing down to the notebook that lay before him on the desk. "Here is the guidebook we we live by, _amigos._ As said by the long line of successful men in my family, 'Burromueto men never lose.' Therefore, I expect not to lose this election. Got it?" He asked, staring each of them down. "I don't _want_ to make enemies, but I will do whatever it takes to win."

"Now that's an attitude I love to see!" LeShawna slammed her fist down next to his hand, her eyes lighting up with a passionate fire. "Harold! You should be more like this. Maybe Duncan will lay off a lil' bit."

Harold scoffed, folding his arms over his chest. "GOSH. I'm only here because he promised he'd play my music at the pep rally on Friday."

"As if anyone wants to hear that mumble rap nonsense." Noah mumbled, digging his nose into the book that had almost appeared out of thin air. Did he just always have one of those? His constant nepatism was starting to get a little annoying. "What guy with the last name Burromueto isn't an automatic loser though?"

"Yeah, man- doesn't that mean like...dead donkey in Spanish? MAN! That'd be so embarrassing! My Linds wouldn't even wanna be caught dead with me." Tyler chimed in, his attention mostly on the hackey sack he was throwing up and down. He dropped it every time, but was still going like a champ. "Sheesh."

"Lindsay can't even remember your name. She thinks I'm you half the time." Cheap shot, Noah, but appropriately taken. "but yes, it means dead donkey."

Alejandro was festering up with anger by this point. How dare they disrespect his family name?! And not focus on something that was meant to be 100% serious? What type of idiots was he attracting? "Hello?! Is anyone still with me?! This is Team **BURROMUETO.** Like it or leave." He spat it out, not leaving any air for questions. Silence. Just as he ensured. "Now that we're on the same page, I believe we should get into our first debrief."

Owen raised another hand. "Excuse me Al- Jalepeno! Yeah! Heather is staring at you."

He whipped around, sending back another stone-cold glare...but then decided to pull out an extra stop. He stood up, taking LeShawna's hand and pressing a gentle kiss to it. "We will go far as a team, my lovely lady." Another glance back at Heather. A grunt of defeat was heard before she went back to talking to Courtney. 

Point: Alejandro. 

> * * *

Gwen was the first one to make it to the courtyard. She sprawled out on the grass, looking over to Duncan, who was already pulling out a cigarette. He trailed up behind her, flopping down on the same ground. "Hey~! The grass is dead, dude! You're gonna start a fire."

Duncan took a drag on the cigarette before moving it in between his fingers. "The cig was in my mouth when I sat down, Gwennie. I'm not gonna burn anything. Stop goin' all eco-warrior on me."

"Climate change, Duncan. It's real." The goth rolled her eyes, pulling out her sketchbook. She flipped through the pages, deciding not to do the work that Courtney had given her...Instead- "Hey, can I draw you?" 

He peered over with an amused look on his face. "You sure you don't wanna think that over with Court?"

"What's that supposed to mean? It shouldn't be her choice if your friend were to draw you or not-" Gwen raised an eyebrow, taking out a pencil from her bag. "I'll do it anyway. She asked for me to tell her to tell you to talk to her after classes."

The punk let out a groan, flicking the bud off of his cigarette and tucking it behind his ear. "Oh great, so you're her secretary now? Great. Is shit like this between you and Tanner?"

"Trent." Gwen corrected, starting to sketch out whatever she could make of Duncan's face. "And no. We haven't been talking much recently. Ever since summer things have been...weird."

"Break it off." He suggested, eyes fallling closed.

"What?!" Gwen peered up from her sketchbook, whacking the boy with it. "I'm not gonna dump Trent! Maybe if you dumped Courtney, yeah, but he's sweet! And we aren't even in an official relationship!" 

Duncan grabbed her wrist, holding up the sketchbook again. "The way you look at him and draw him all the time says different. And what about the notes you give 'em during French? I sit right behind him so I see him. Some pretty entertaining shit." He let out a wicked chuckle, skipping through the sketchbook until he landed on a half-done portrait of Trent. "And what about Court? Just 'cause her and I have been together since freshman year doesn't mean we're stale...just in a little bit of a rough patch right now."

Silence hung in the air for a moment. Summer had been the time when relationships bloomed...but also when they died. Not only Courtney and Duncan had broken up, but so did Owen and Izzy and Bridgette and Geoff. Gwen let out a sigh, glancing over to Duncan's hands. "You're right. I shouldn't have said that...but neither you nor her deserves to be in this if you're not completely there, you know?" She took a pause, resting her hand on Duncan's. "Got it?"

"Got it, Gothy." Duncan gave her hand a gentle squeeze. The situation was...all too good. They stayed locked in each other's gaze, almost in an etheral connection. This felt so wrong- what about Courtney and Trent..? 

"HEY! NO KISSY KISSY ON THE COURTYARD! Like I don't know where you two are supposed to be right now, heh! Get yourselves to class, and after school, you'll be seeing me and Chef in the auditorium for auditions!" Chris's voice cut through any chance of connection with a katana. He was, obviously, late, some type of brew in his hand a breif case in his other. "I expect you guys to be ready to sing! If you don't have a smoker's voice...Duncan..." He stalked off, giving the classic McClean snicker as he made his way into the building. 

The punk sat up, tossing the sketchbook to the side. He hopped up, holding a fist up to Chris's back. "I don't sing! Singing is for little girls! And birdies! I don't look like either of those, do I?" He started to storm off, triggering Gwen's reaction to just follow him.

There sat the sketchbook...I wonder what will happen...

> * * *

Alejandro had finally gotten Tyler to successfully put up a few posters before he was left alone. He steadied himself against the wall, gently rubbing his temples. A long day was finally put behind him. Only about two weeks of dealing with his team of nincompoops left. Just as he was about to move, a figure approached him, blocking every move he could've made.

"Heather." He hissed, folding his arms over his chest. "What could you possibly need, _chica_? Haven't I made it clear that we're sworn enemies?"

"Sworn enemies my ass. I _saw_ the way you were throwing yourself at me during class. Using LeShawna as a pawn isn't going to work against me." Her eyes were glazed in anger...and jealousy. Alejandro knew exactly how to break her.

He let out a chuckle, taking one of her hands that remained folded. "Heather, Heather, Heather...Though I truly do have no intention of hurting you, I know you're just jealous. I see through that adorable scowl of scorn and hatred. You just want me to yourself, correct?" He brought her hand up to her mouth, gently planting a kiss to it. 

Heather immediately began sputtering. "I KNOW you didn't just try to pull that shit on me! Don't you dare! I don't see anything more than a snake about you!" She tore her hand out of his grip, turning around before he could see her face go red. "Don't even try to say that around me! We're sworn enemies, Alejandro!"

"I thought you said we weren't?" He asked, leaning forward, just so he was a comfortable distance away from her ear. "Check your hand, diabla." 

"Oooooh- you are SO dead." She immediately stormed off, but just before she turned the corner, she opened her fist. A smile formed on her face, but then it immediately changed to a stone cold glare as she stormed out of the front door. 

A success in his book! Alejandro smirked, turning around...and was met by Tyler. Great. His smirk changed to a scowl, just like Heather's. "Need something?"

The athlete nodded, handing over a black, leatherbound book. "I found this in the courtyard. I'm not great with talkin' to people so do you think you can find the owner? You seem to be better with people." 

The diplomat nodded, taking a general sneak peak into the book. The first sketch he saw was...Duncan? This couldn't possibly belong to Courtney...but- "Gwen. It is Gwen's."

"Awesome bro! Do you want me to give it to her-" Tyler began to offer, but his hand was pushed down by Alejandros.

"No, no. I can take it from here. Thank you, Tyler. You sure will make this campaign breeze by."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi guys!! happy holidays <3 now that im off school chapters should be a little more frequent, but i wanna make them the best i can :)


	4. After School Activities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Auditions for Wawanakwa's production of Addams Family: The Musical are in full swing...and so is romance. Geoff has to deal with his feelings for a certain someone. Duncan and Gwen exchange some sparks in detention. Cody has a moment where he isn't sure what's actually going on. And on top of all of this, will Heather be able to win over the crowd with a smear campaign on Alejandro? Find out in this chapter of Total Drama: Slice of Life!

Heather could barely focus on the road ahead of her. What kind of god did Alejandro think he was?! Just because he had a nice face, voice, and potentially body, the ability to charm everyone he meets, and a killer grip on politics meant he was fit to be the heir to Zeus’s throne! If anyone deserved that position, it was her! She slammed her hand down on the wheel, the noise of her horn scaring a nearby hoard of children. Once she pulled into her driveway, it was time to deal with the cold hard facts. Nothing was going to get in her way-

“Heather dear!” Her mom yelled from the other room, poking her head out of the archway that separated the hallway and the kitchen. “Do you want a snack?”

She stopped midway up the stairs, leaning over the banister in order to respond. “No, of course not. I have to end a man’s career.” 

Her mother laughed. Why was she pretending to be a good parent now? “Alright, dear. Whatever keeps you out of the house.” She went back into the kitchen, leaving Heather up to her own devices. 

The queen bee rolled her eyes, heading to her bedroom. She locked the door behind herself, settling in at her desk. She took out the scrap of paper from her pocket...you know, the one that he gave her. It wasn’t long before a tab looking for the Instagram page of Alejandro Burromueto was on her screen. 

* * *

Geoff couldn’t be any happier with life. He had the world in his hands: a rockin’ babe of a girlfriend, the best bro a dude could ask for, and a cool job under Mr. McLean in the musical! He even got Brody to agree to do tech with him. If you had told him a year ago that this would be his life, then he’d laugh in your face and tell you, “Whatever, bro! I hate this place.”

“Geoff, I hate this place dude.” Brody slung a wood panel over his shoulder, hefting it up with ease. They were starting set building while auditions were being held. “I think it’s nice that ya want to be involved with this, but I don’t even know what a musical is.”

Geoff let out a snicker, adjusting the roster on his clipboard. “C’mon, brah! Remember you came to see the one I worked on over the summer?”

“The one Bridg told ya you were acting like a diva for letting it get to your head?” Brody looked over to Geoff’s, whose facial expression had fallen. “Sorry, dude...I didn’t mean to pick at the scab…”

The surfer waved his best friend off. He sprung back to the goofy smile, repressing whatever weirdness he just felt. “It’s okay, Bro. Shit’s just happenin’ again and it made me think about it. We broke up again over the summer-”

“AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME THIS?” Brody squealed, almost taking down one of the backstage props with his plank. He leaned in, his eyes agape. “You guys are still crazy close!”

“Ya could say that. She doesn’t want anyone in our bis, so keep your voice down.” Geoff mumbled, scribbling something against his call sheet. “Me bein’ a diva had something to do with it...but you can’t tell anyone.”

“Sworn, brah! That’s what best friends are for, right?” He let the wood topple onto the ground, replacing it with a bear hug on Geoff. 

“Right.” Geoff bit his lip, attempting to suppress the growing pink on his face.

* * *

Cody slid down the halls, attempting to catch a break from Sierra. He had to meet up with Izzy to walk home; Courtney’s extra meeting with him and his...fan...kept him off schedule by fifteen minutes. It was only when the alarm on her phone rang that she was reminded that Duncan still needed a talking to,

Fresh out of the halls and into the crisp September winds, Cody had easily lost Sierra...and couldn’t find Izzy either. Where was the redhead now?! Eva had sports practice at least every day after classes and Owen wasn’t anywhere to be found after school past 3:00 sharp. The brunette sighed, starting his trek through the front campus. 

“CODY!” A shrill voice let out from behind him. He whirled around...no! Sierra was running towards him, arms full of whatever their art teacher was letting her bring home for Friday’s pep rally decor. “CODYKINS! WE CAN WALK HOME TOGETHER!” 

Before he could even reply, another voice, this time, someone he could recognize in an instant, called out from just a few feet away. “Come on Scrawny, Izzy told me we had to wait for you and now I’m running late.” Noah’s head was sticking out of his brother’s infamous car’s window. “I have a curfew here.”

“Curfew, smurfew! We gotta rescue Cody! That’s Team E-Scope’s mission statement!” Izzy popped her head out through the back window. “Always rescuing the little guy!” 

Cody shook his head, accepting the offer and entering through the passenger side door. Anything to not have to deal with Sierra anymore.

* * *

After almost hours of scrolling, stalking, and scouring through different social media sites for anything about this Alejandro character, Heather hadn’t made any progress. Well, she found basic information, but none of it was that nitty-gritty, revenge-seeking shit she needed to start a smear campaign against him. 

She pulled out her phone, opening up the groupchat with her team for her own campaign. Within three rings, Courtney and Sierra were both on her screen. Courtney had very obviously been in the middle of something, and Sierra was ever as eager to listen to her.

“Is there something you need?” Courtney asked, putting the pencil she was holding behind her ear. 

“Yeah...and where’s Cody?” Sierra offered no input, cocking her head to the side. Bleh.

Heather rolled her eyes, propping her phone against her computer screen. “I’ve been doing some info digging on the competition. I can’t find shit on that...dreamboat.”

“Dreamboat?” Courtney let out a snicker before composing herself again. “Not everyone puts their life on the internet, Heather! For example, you might not be able to run a smear campaign on him, but if he wanted to expose that you stayed home from the freshman formal to make out with Bruiser.” She stopped, glancing at her own computer screen. “I forgot Gwen already did that, pardon me.” 

Sierra let out a laugh, stopping herself once she saw Heather’s death glare. “Sorry.”

“Are you my campaign manager or not? Shape up and help me out here, Barlow. I need a smear campaign for tomorrow. I’ve been stalking his Instagram for hours. He doesn’t even follow anyone from school.” Heather sighed, resting her hand on her chin. “Write me a speech. I need to make myself look good.”

The superfan raised an eyebrow. “Stalking his social media? For hours? And finding nothing? Give me ten minutes and I can get his whole life story.”

In turn, Courtney simply glanced at the camera, sending Heather back another glare. “I have a life outside of this campaign, write your own speech.” She let out a huff, then turned her camera off. “I’m already writing Duncan some ground rules. Someone had a little rendezvous with Gwen this morning and completely flaked on our plans after school.”

Heather quirked an eyebrow. “Courtney, you’re free to go. I’m gonna work with Sc- Sierra...on this piece.” A smirk overtook her face.

This was going to be fun.

* * *

“Alright, maggots! Welcome to auditions for Wawanakawa's production of The Addams Family. I’ll be sending one of you at a time onstage. Sing your heart out...or choke...Heh.”

Geoff took his seat beside Mr. McLean’s...assistant. Chris was on the stage, but he couldn’t focus on him. He shifted in his seat, looking down at the clipboard in his lap. How did he get away with lying to Brody so easily? In all honesty, Bridgette and he didn’t break up just because of his attitude. They broke up because he was questioning his feelings for Brody; which turned out to be 100% real. Bridgette was understanding, and he still loved her, just not in the same way he had thought. He should be completely over this feeling...so why was it coming up again?

“I’m not doing this today, McLean.” A familiar voice cut through his focus. Duncan! He had seen his name on the call list, but just figured it was a prank from the delinquent. Maybe it was to win over Courtney! Hah, as if that was gonna happen. “Don’t you dare give me that script-”

Chris shoved the script towards Duncan’s chest. “This is your detention! Would you rather sit in the room with Chef Hatchet for an hour or do this and have some fun?” 

Duncan’s eyes glanced next to Geoff, where Chef Hatchet returned his glance with a murderous glare. “...Fine. But I don’t wanna do this alone.” 

“Do this alone? This is your audition, brah. Sorry, I don’t think we’re prepped for two people to go at once.” Geoff spoke up, running through the stack of sample scripts he was keeping pinned together. “We have one, but I don’t think you’d want me to read with you.”

Duncan grumbled again, searching through the audience before his head finally stopped. “Gothy, get up here. You can do that, right?”

No response.

“C’mon Gwen! Ya gotta audition anyway! Make it easier with Duncan!” Geoff encouraged.

There were a few moments of silence before Chef stood up, carting himself to where Gwen was sitting. “Girlie, I don’t want to make this hard. Call it a favor for me lettin’ you skip class earlier.”

“ _Let_ me?! You gave me a hall pass!” Gwen shot up from her spot, storming up to the front of the room. She took the script from Geoff, taking the stairs up from the stage. “Let's get this over with.”

Geoff flipped through the stack until he found an extra copy of the sample. “Alright, take it from the end of Happy Sad. I’ll read for Gomez, Duncan, you’re Lucas, and Gwen is Wednesday.”

“Type-casting at its finest. Good job.” Chris let out a menacing chuckle, glancing over at Geoff. Gwen shifted in his sightline. “Act-ion!”

“How long have you been standing in the shadows?” Gwen asked, glancing back to Duncan. 

Duncan took a pause, looking up from his script. “My whole life.” 

Alright, his turn. “Nice, you should be a writer. Have you met my daughter? This is Wednesday. The best thing that will ever happen to you.” He took a beat, sending Duncan his best protective dad stare. “Don’t screw this up.” 

“Yes?” Gwen asked, sending her sight back to Duncan.

“Look, I can’t stand the idea of not being with you.” He took a step closer.

She turned away again. “Five minutes ago you could.”

“No, but see-” Duncan stopped himself, walking around to the other side of his counterpart. “The lover always comes back. Ulysses. Tristan. Romeo.”

Gwen deadpanned, ever so in character. “Listen, I’m home-schooled. Your point?”

Duncan took her hand from her script, getting her to look into his eyes. “I’d rather die than live without you.” 

Geoff was absolutely mesmerized by the scene before him. He didn’t know Duncan would be such a good actor! But at the same time...the bravado was a little too real to feel just like acting. Maybe he was just jealous - this could be his mind weirdly projecting his feelings for Brody into the scene. Ugh. 

“SCENE!” Chris clapped his hands together in thunderous applause, urging Chef to applaud with him. This pulled Geoff from his deep thought, causing him to look back at the script. “That was wonderful!”

“We still have a few more lines of dialogue-” Geoff chimed in, holding up his clipboard. Chris completely ignored him.

“Cast list will be up soon! Both of you are dismissed...for now. Keep up the flames of love, _birdies_.” He sent a wink, turning back to his notebook.

“They didn’t even sing…” Chef mumbled, turning to Geoff. “How are you gonna get cast for a musical if you can’t even sing?”

Geoff shrugged, looking down at his list. Today would be a loooong day. “Alright! Next up...Brody Hernandez? For Gomez?” His face twisted into shock. Brody was auditioning?!

* * *

The ride home was fairly quiet. Izzy was absorbed in a game on her phone, Noah was carefully driving, and Cody was staring out the window to avoid conversation. The radio was tuned to the local pop station, with Shawn Mendes crooning out another song about everything Cody aspired to have in life: fame, girls, and adoration. 

“This song is atrocious,” Noah mumbled, flicking the station to a different tune. 

“I was listening to that!” Cody half-whined, rolling his head over against the back seat headrest. He crossed his arms, looking back to Noah.

“You enjoy that shit? I should’ve known..” He let out a quiet snicker, turning the radio down. “Shawn Mendes isn’t even that good.”

“Yeah, he does!” Izzy let out a maniacal laugh, not even looking up from the little square on her screen traveling through hyperspace. “Cody LOOOOVES Shawn.”

“I mean, he’s attractive, but his music sucks.” Noah rolled his eyes, turning a street corner down Izzy’s block. “I just don’t like how samey it is.”

“Yet you listen to bands from the ’60s that all sound the same, dummy,” Izzy said, looking back at Cody. “It seems like you have a type, Noah.”

Noah’s face could visibly heat up in the rearview mirror. Did he have a thing for brunette guys? Maybe he had a crush on Alejandro. He let out an embarrassed cough as he pulled up to Izzy’s house. “Alright, nutball. We’re at your stop. Say hi to Eva for me.” 

Cody unbuckled his seatbelt, turning to exit the car. “Thanks for the ride-”

“I can drive you down the block. It’s on my way.” Noah said, his nonchalant attitude sending a wave of anxiety over Cody. 

The brunette accepted the offer by buckling his seatbelt once again. “Thanks.”

“No problem. If you ever need a ride again, just text me. I’m sure my brother wouldn’t mind swinging by in the mornings.” The bookworm spoke up, pulling up to Cody’s block. 

Cody nodded, gesturing out the window. “Will do. It’s the third house on the right~” He grabbed his schoolbag, unbuckling once again. “Good luck on Al’s campaign, Noah. He got out of the car, holding up a hand as a goodbye. 

“And good luck with Heather, Shawn.” Noah waved, speeding off. 

* * *

“Annnnd done!” The last click of the keyboard signified Sierra being done writing the speech. While they hadn’t found a ton of information on Alejandro, they wrote a good enough presentation to make Heather look better than her opponent could make himself out to be.

Heather looked through the document, clicking a print button with a satisfying smile. “You’re scarily good at writing.”

Sierra let out a laugh, snorting at the end. “I’ve written my fair share of fanfics.”

“Right! Well, I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” Heather gave a smile, finally shutting her phone down before Sierra could answer. 

This was going to be amazing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> heeey guys! i'm so sorry this didn't come out sooner. i got half of it written and then got so caught up that i forgot to finish! hope you guys are doing well :)

**Author's Note:**

> hey y'all! so i wrote this fic about...a year and a half ago now. it finally made it's way to ao3! 
> 
> anyways, we get a little sneak peak into our first little storylines of the book: the presidential campaign, aleheather, and gwen and trent...what will go down?


End file.
